If By Yes

At SXSW, If By Yes played at the Cactus Cafe on Saturday afternoon. After that they headed off to Elysium for a Chimera Music showcase with Sean Lennon and Yoko Ono. Metromix Louisville described the evening: "—a brand-new supergroup of sorts called If By Yes took the stage. Featuring Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto fame and former That Dog frontwoman Petra Haden, If By Yes combines Honda’s flair for lush, tropicalia-tinged pop with Haden’s jazzy, acrobatic vocal arrangements—which, in a gratifying move, were rendered live not with loops or samples but with the aid of talented second vocalist, Courtney Kaiser of the band Kaiser Cartel. Even though Haden was battling a cold, her and Kaiser’s intertwined voices were so bewitching that the presence of the incomparable Nels Cline as a guest guitarist barely registered. (That’s not a knock on Cline, who was typically brilliant—just an indication of how cool the vocals were.)" http://louisville.metromix.com/music/article/south-by-southwest-2011/2517052/content